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This act shows the ways in which Virginia regulated manumitting (freeing) of enslaved people and the subsequent race-based laws for freedpeople.

Lincoln’s first inaugural address illustrates the centrality of slavery in southern states decision to secede after the 1860 election.

Recounting a selective portion of an enslaved woman’s life, this brief biography also serves as a reflection of what mainstream society deemed “worthy” during the early to mid-19th century. Precisely because Alice supposedly embodied characteristics that were both exceptional and ordinary, her story offers a useful lens to consider how slavery was understood in its time.

In this excerpt, Robinson describes "the four classes of men" who played pivotal roles in the system of chattel slavery.

William Wells Brown was born into slavery and later escaped to become one of the foremost supporters of abolition.

This biography tells the story of Frederick Douglass’ escape from slavery and how he became one of the most important voices of his time and ours.